MTG Salvation

Do you think "Uncover 2" is more valuable than "Uncover, then uncover again"?

Tyranus -- "Devotion to Dinosaurs" is impossible to parse. "Devotion to blue" makes sense, as permanents have blue mana symbols; but there is no Dinosaur mana to provide a parallel. "As long as you control five or more Dinosaur creatures that don't have Changeling and aren't Mistform Ultimus because let's face it, that hack is becoming pretty old" is a little more likely to show up in Oracle. 5 cmc for a 5/5 with trample is fair by today's standards in green; the mini-Overrun does push it a little. You're more likely to play this guy and alpha strike with the rest of the team than wait a turn and charge with him.

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Boros Legionnaire -- 1RW
Creature - Human Soldier
You may have any number of cards named Boros Legionnaire in your library.
Whenever Boros Legionnaire deals combat damage to an opponent, choose one: Search your library for a card named Boros Legionnaire, reveal it, put it into your hand, and then shuffle your library; or put a +1/+1 counter on each creature named Boros Legionnaire you control.
2/2


Tempted to find some means of putting entwine on the triggered ability. But how?

Jundland Riotfields -- In current Magic philosophy, all lands generate mana. This is pretty game-breaking -- worse than, say, The Abyss or The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale -- since it reduces the game-state to just one large creature in play. Three-way fights are, I believe, undefined in the game currently; would each creature divide damage between the other two, or deal damage equal to its power to the other two? So, it needs a lot of work just to make it work.

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Mindfire Homunculus -- 2U
Creature - Imp
Flying
If you would draw a card, you may put a +1/+1 counter on Mindfire Humonculus instead.
2/2

Cue "humongous homunculus" jokes.


EDIT: Typed in the wrong name .. blast it. Can't even blame that on autocorrect!

Grave Exchange -- Oy. So, I cast this, then an Ornithopter or Walking Ballista or whatever and animate whatever big thing I discarded last turn? And could do this multiple times .. before my opponent gets a chance to do so ... Okay, like all reanimation strategies, it depends on getting stuff into the 'yard to begin with, but that's casually simple for a UB deck. It's probably gonna end the game the turn it enters play, so the fact that an opponent or teammate might benefit from it really isn't a true drawback.

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Sicken -- (U/B)
Instant
Tap target spell. (Permanents that spell would cause to enter the battlefield enter it tapped.)
Draw a card.

Plunge Through the Mirror -- Well, it just screams "obvious combo piece." I mean, some cards ought to suggest or imply, or whisper into your ear, but this kind of just pulls its pants down and moons you. Secondarily, it also sits right on top of Assassinate and Murder and so many other black "destroy" effects; yes, sometimes it's better to merely destroy, since it gives you a chance to reanimate later .. but so does your opponent.

I'm not a big fan of unrestricted exile effects, especially so cheap, and especially in black (rather than white. Something that might help tame it is by making the first phrase, "Destroy target creature. If you do, return it the battlefield..."

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Boethus, Favored By The People --3W
Legendary Creature - Human Cleric
Creatures controlled by players with less life than you can't attack you or planeswalkers you control.
At the beginning of your upkeep, each player who controls an Aura enchanting Boethus gains three life.
3/3

Roilwing -- Strikes me as much more blue-black than straight-up blue; the triggered ability very much reminds me of Recoil (and old favorite). It's cute, very skill-testy.

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Livin' the Life -- 3GGG
Enchantment
When Livin' the Life enters the battlefield, create a number of 1/1 green Squirrel creature tokens with forestwalk equal to your life total.
You can't lose the game as long as you control a Squirrel creature.
When you control no Squirrel creatures, or Livin' the Life leaves the battlefield, you lose the game.


Wanted a green Lich variant. The name's just a placeholder -- suggestions?

Explore -- Not the best, not the worst; at the very least it replaces itself. I'd prefer it read "Otherwise, put that card into your hand," even though that avoids draw triggers.

Staff of Elements -- There's an older card (Halfdane with a rather odd template that would cover this sort of situation; essentially, it would add "until the end of your next upkeep", which would allow you to tap it for a new effect, or to continue the old effect, without it actually ending. It strikes me as a little cleaner and clearer. It's an interesting play with durations (which, as you can tell with my previous post, I rather enjoy.)

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Sindari Reinforcements -- 2R
Sorcery
Create two 1/1 red Goblin creatures tokens with haste. Then, you may sacrifice four Goblin creatures. If you do, create a 4/4 red Giant creature token.

Akroan Dark Coin -- Infinite chump blockers? Abuseable with sac outlets? It's cheap enough that it makes most of other creatures with that mana cost look bad; while OG token producers like The Hive are way overcosted, this goes a little far in the other direction.

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Seranda Pacifist -- 2W
Creature - Human Cleric
Flash
Defender
When Seranda Pacifist enters the battlefield, exile target attacking creature until Seranda Pacifist deals damage.
2/2

Does this re-open the loophole that Banisher Priest and others closed? I rather like the idea of using other durations for this sort of ability.

I was rather surprised to see Assassinate color-shifted into Judge the Unruly; while white's dealt with tapped creatures before, it's usually fluffed as a result of attack.

Prized Griffin really should have flying, and Giant Sloth should not have *first strike* (!) Most of the others are fine; even though it's for a set in development, I'd work on flavor text, since other wise commons are often going to feel "meh".

Well, at its very basic level, there's an intrinsic difference between Dwarves and Kithkin; the same one that separates Warriors and Soldiers. (And Mercenaries and Barbarians and and and.)

Plus, Kithkin were supposed to have that thoughtweft/mindweft thing going on, although that sometimes seemed tenuous, mechanically speaking, in the cards.

My real point was that a lot of races we take to be non-Dominaria-specific actually did start there.

Mana Relay -- This needs a slight wording tweak. "You" on a card refers to its controller. This means you can only play its mana ability (not "tap ability") on your own turn, but other players can play its ability on either your turn or their turn. Essentially, as written, you'd only be able to use it during your upkeep (or else a wise opponent taps it), but your opponent can use it whenever they want. Until you get to multiplayer ... . But really, this could just be Eladamri's Vineyard. Everyone gets free mana, yay!

Chrome Hydra -- Maybe give it double strike? Or, "~ gets +1/+0 for each creature crewing it..." or something similar.

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Resonant Ectoplasm -- 2B
Creature - Spirit
Discard Resonant Ectoplasm from your hand, Pay one life: Add to your mana pool.
Flying, menace
1/1

If you want the other creature to deal damage back to Shaellar if it survives the blow, you could create a delayed trigger effect (e.g., "At the beginning of the next end step, that creature deals damage equal to its power to Shaellar"). There may be a little weirdness in that other players will get priority in between, and whether other sources have damaged either creature.

How is Swift intended to work with first strike and double strike? How does it work if it gets blocked by another creature with swift, too?

Map and Compass -- Cute; I'd prefer the benefits to exploring to be spelled out (ie, include the reminder text.) For a more flavorful name, you might personalize whose compass it is, or what place the map depicts. ... But if there's a map, why does it need to be explored?

Lastly, it can't be a "Scout" Equipment unless you make it Tribal, and WotC don't do that no more.

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Part of a cycle:

Elohanna's Shield -- 1
Artifact - Equipment
Equipped creature gets +0/+4.
Equip 3
1WW: Attach Elohanna's Shield to target creature. That creature gains protection from a color of your choice until end of turn.

Well, it definitely won't be Kithkin. (Or will it be? )

Seekers or Glyphs -- Is the name meant to be Seekers *of* Glyphs? Cheap spell-copying, but it relies on your opponent to have anything, and doesn't necessarily prevent your stuff from getting blown up (or damage directed toward you, or any other things). So, useful in a control shell, but probably outclassed by other things, and overall not very proactive.

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Duel Mastery -- 2WR
Enchantment
Whenever a creature you control becomes blocked, you may have its power become equal to a creature of your choice blocking it until end of turn.


I'm tempted to throw in something extra like first strike or, just to confuse people, "Your attacking creatures get +2/+0."